Vacuum cleaners having cyclonic separators are now well known. The cyclonic separators typically comprise a cyclone chamber defined between an outer wall and a shroud. In general, an airflow in which dirt and dust is entrained enters the cyclone chamber via an inlet which causes the airflow to follow a spiral or helical path so that the dirt and dust is separated from the airflow. Relatively clean air then passes out of the cyclone chamber through the shroud and typically will then proceed to one or more subsequent cyclonic separators. The shroud can comprise a rigid wall provided with a large number of through-holes through which the air can travel. However, a recent trend has been to use a mesh secured between an upper and lower portion of the shroud. By using mesh, a greater open area is provided where air can pass through. However, it can be difficult to keep the mesh tensioned. If the mesh is not tensioned properly then it can potentially interfere with and disturb the spiralling airflow in the cyclone chamber. Additionally, if not properly tensioned, the mesh can look unsightly to a user.
One known scheme for creating tension in the mesh is shown in FIGS. 1a to 1c. A part of a shroud 1 is shown comprising a mesh 2 and a lower portion 3 to which the mesh 2 is attached. The lower portion 3 comprises an inner flange that extends towards an inner wall located behind the shroud. This flange usually acts as a seal between the lower portion 3 and the inner wall. A fin 4 located on the inner wall is provided at its lower end with two elastically deformable arms 5. As the shroud 1 is put into position during assembly, shown by arrow M, the arms 5 come into contact with the flange of the lower portion 3 of the shroud. The arms 5 are able to deform upwards as shown by the arrows A in FIG. 1a. Being elastically deformable, the arms 5 then provide a downward force F (shown in FIG. 1b) on the lower portion 3 of the shroud. This downward force F biases the lower portion 3 away from an upper portion (not shown) to which the top of the mesh 2 is attached and therefore tensions the mesh 2. Whilst this solution does work to tension the mesh 2, it has been found that the deformable arms 2 can sometimes be deformed past their yield point during assembly such that they no longer provide a downward force to the lower portion 3 of the shroud. Without the downward force F, the mesh 2 will no longer be tensioned. Furthermore, it has been found that the arms 5 of each fin 4 can create a pocket that can collect dirt 6, as shown in FIG. 1c. This can be avoided by upwardly extending the lower portion 3 of the shroud 1 such that the arms 5 are not visible through the mesh 2. However, this then reduces the mesh area, and therefore decreases the open area available for air to exit the cyclone chamber.